German Words We Should Be Using in English

When you learn a new language, you're bound to find some great words with no English equivalents. That, or some really great translations. German is especially great when it comes to inventing words or expressions. I thought I would share with you 10 German words we should be using in English!

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Fremdschämen (exterior shame)
The shame you feel on someone else's behalf. Like secondhand embarrassement.

Muskelkater (muscle hangover)
The soreness you feel after exercise.

Warteschlange (wait snake)
A waiting line.

Feierabend (party or free evening)
This means being done with work.

Ohrwurm (ear worm)
You know when you have a song stuck in your head? This is the word.

Fernweh (far pain)
The opposite of "Heimweh" or homesickness. A longing for a place far away.

Kummerspeck (grief bacon)
When you're emotional and "eat your emotions".

Schnappsidee (schnapps idea)
A really dumb idea, just like the ones you have when you're drunk.

Backpfeifengesicht (slap face)
A face that deserves to be slapped or punched.

Treppenwitz (stairecase joke)
That clever joke or witty response you only think of after you leave.

Another great thing about learning German is that many of the words are simple! Add a "zeug" at the end, and you can get away with just about anyting. "Zeug" means thing and has eben used to describe many, many things. Flugzeug (airplane, or fly-thing), Spielzeug (toy, or play-thing), Feuerzeug (lighter, or fire-thing) and the list goes on.

Confessions

I confess that...

**I got a sunburn on Sunday when I ran the halfmarathon, and I'm slightly proud of that. While everone at home is complaining about the -10 weather and the snow, I'm complaining about the heat and sunlight.

**I have been watching Gossip Girl for the third time and loving every moment of it.

**As much as I hate him, I kind of want to see what would happen if Trump got elected....

**I have obsessively scouring this website. It's full of lists! And we all know how happy lists make me.

**Honestly, there are time when I regret moving to Berlin...

**I haven't worked out since April 9th (other than running twice a week) and have been eating an embarassing amount of chocolate, ice cream, and doener kebabs... and I mean every single day.

**I spend more time on Facebook and Pinterest at work than I do at home.... 

**I live about 5km from work and am too lazy to bike to work.

**I'm so used to always being on the hunt for a job, that whenever I see an add or hear abotu an opening, I just on it, even though I don't need another job.

**I have been trying really hard not to buy every little elephant knick knack that I find. And trust me, there is a lot.

**I am dying go to the Berlin Zoo! It's honestly such a fun place wich so many different animals! Except that I'm always working during opening hours....

**While walking through Berlin the other night, I saw a real live fox just running by! In the middle of the city! It was majestic.

**Sometimes, I still can't believe I'm living in Berlin. It's such an amazing city and I'm so grateful to be here. Life is good.

Do you have any confessions?

World Pillow Fight Day

Apparently, there's such a thing as the World Pillow Fight Day. This year, it was on Saturday, April 2nd. Cities across the world organize a pillow fight in a public square and anyone can join in! So of course I had to go check it out! I got myself some €1.99 pillows at Woolworth, and off we went!

People gathered at the Brandenburg Gate, while police officers watched and reminded us to clean up after ourselves and to not abandon our pillows after the fight. At exactly 3pm, a dozen people starting counting down... 3! 2! 1! PILLOW FIGHT!

Photo Credit: Martin Waltz

And it begun. It went from what seemed like a few people standing around, to hundreds of people having a pillow fight. Pillows, feathers and photographers were everywhere! The tourists were completely confused by the sudden chaos while we were having the time of our lives, fighting strangers with pillows.

I only lasted about 15 or 20 minutes in the chaos before I had to stand to the side. I got a few elbows and fists in the face and head, so I was getting a little dizzys, and with the half marathon the next day, I didn't want to over do it.

The whole fight probably lasted less than an hour before people starting slowly leaving the crowd. I didn't see how messy it was, but from the amount of feathers in the air and on the ground during the first 10 minutes, I can't imagine what the cleanup must've been like! Clearly, it was efficient as I didn't see a single feather as I ran past the Brandenburg Gate during the half marathon!

If you ever get to experience the World Pillow Fight Day, GO! It's a hell of a good time!

Berliner Halbmarathon 2016

Last year, I ran the half marathon in Berlin and it was a really great run. Beautiful course, amazing crowd support, tons of runners and an incredible energy. I didn't think the opportunity to run it again would come so soon!
Once the idea of moving to Berlin had become slightly more real, I registered for the race. I registered even before having a plane ticket or having any concrete idea of my plans. I just knew I needed to get myself to Berlin and experience this run once again.

So I did! It was such a gorgeous day! It was about 20 degrees, bright and sunny, with a breeze here and there.
A few weeks ago, I met Gaurav in a running group. Both of us we're training for this race, so we decided to train together and maybe even run together. Though by the 7km mark, I couldn't keep up and we separated. I was dealing with some nasty shin splints in my right leg and they started feeling better around 9km.

I was running at a pretty good pace all the way to 10km, then slowed down considerably. I was exhausted, having barely slept the night before and dealing with the pain of shin splints also takes a toll on your body. I do also have to admit that I really wasn't ready for the hot weather...! There were time during the run where I barely even knew if my legs were still moving or not. All I knew is that I was going forward somehow. I quickly adopted the 10-1 run/walk method, which really helped keep me going, though I definitely walk most of the last 2km. Once I turned the corner and saw the 21km flag, I gathered my last bit of energy and sprinted as fast as I could, zig-zagging between people and crossed the finish line.

I finished with a time of 2:20:01. This is my worst time since my first ever disaster-half.... I'm honestly really disappointed that I couldn't at least do my average of 2:15. My goal was to try and beat my PR of 2:07, but it just wasn't possible.
Gaurav, by the way, made an excellent time of 2:02:38!

Not every race will be a good one. I have to keep reminding myself that I crossed the finish line. I finished. I have to be proud that I sprinted to the finish line instead of walking. I have to be proud that I'm barely sore today. I have to be proud that this is my seventh half marathon in less than 3 years.

I've got a few more races coming up, and you can be sure that I'm going to train even harder for those ones. I don't expect to beat my PR, but I now have even more motivation to beat my average.

Here are a couple facts about this year's half marathon:
-32,753 people registered for the half marathon, only 11,964 of them were from Berlin.
-103 different countries were represented
-25,000 liters of water was poured for the runners on the course and at the finish line
-Over 250,000 people came to watch and support the runners
-540 police officers watched over the course, keeping it safe for runners
-About 38 bands played music along the course
-The winner of the race had a time of 59:58

Sarcastic Guide to Taking the Subway

For April Fools', I thought I share some helpful tips on how to ride the subway. It's a new thing for me as in Winnipeg, we only have busses, while in Berlin, you've got the U-bahn, the S-bahn, the Tram, the Metro-Tram, and the Bus, the Metro-Bus and the Night Bus. The possibilities are endless!

Here are a few tips to taking the subway:

1. Ignore the blaring siren signalling the doors closing. Don't worry, they won't close on you.

2. People love when you talk to them. Start up a conversation with the person sitting next to you! Germans love nothing more than a bit of chit chat about the weather on their morning commute.

3. If you don't feel like talking, make sure to play your music really loud without headphones for everyone to enjoy!

4. Don't worry about the people standing. Put your bag on the seat next to you so you don't have to hold it in your lap.

5. Please, for crying out loud, don't pay the fare! It's a whole €2,70! What a waste.

6. If you get caught without a ticket, just pretend you're a tourist. Or run as fast as possible.

7. Don't worry if you're late. The busses and trains will always wait for you.

8. You will encounter beggars and musicians asking for money. Always, always, always give them a little something.

9. If you're on the escalator don't worry about blocking the flow of traffic. It's an escalator; everyone will get there at the same time.

10. If you're on a bus, you should use the front door to get off. It's where you came in, might as well go out that way too!